December 13, 2017

13Dec

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

 

Local/Regional Politics:

 

Kern County: Geography of Inequity and Opportunities for Action

UC Davis Center for Regional Change

Kern County: Geography of Inequity and Opportunities for Action was commissioned bySierra Health Foundation on behalf of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund, with funding from The California Endowment, and prepared by the UC Davis Center for Regional Change.

 

Jim Vidak won’t seek an eighth term as Tulare County Office of Education Superintendent

Visalia Times Delta

Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak announced Monday he’s retiring next year, nearly completing three decades in the post.

 

No firm date for Tulare hospital’s reopening

Visalia Times Delta

There’s no firm date for when Tulare Regional Medical Center will reopen, Interim CEO Larry Blitz said.

 

Didn’t Check Before You Burned? You Could End Up In This Class

Valley Public Radio

If you’ve ever gotten a speeding ticket, you may have been required to attend traffic school. Likewise, cause a scene at work, you may have to take anger management classes. But what if you violate burning restrictions? The local air district runs a different kind of class intended to spark good behavior.

 

Will Fresno Reverse Course On Marijuana Businesses?

Valley Public Radio

The Fresno City Council will vote Thursday on a proposal that would set the city on a path to legalizing a variety of marijuana-related businesses.

 

VIDEO: Community Members Protest GOP Tax Plan

bakersfield.com

 

Worth Noting: Rally set to oppose cuts to health insurance

bakersfield.com

Representatives from several health-related organizations will hold a rally on Wednesday opposing cuts to Medi-Cal and other health insurance.

 

Villaraigosa, candidate for governor, strikes a centrist stance in Bakersfield meeting

bakersfield.com

California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa talked innovation, the economy, jobs and politics during a business roundtable in downtown Bakersfield Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

Justin Salters: What we need are more political moderates

bakersfield.com

We live in fragmented and polarized times. Our political fringes have become mainstream, and the centrists have been pushed to the periphery.

 

State Politics:

 

PolitiFact California’s Top 10 Most Popular Fact Checks of 2017

PolitiFact

Eye-opening claims that California has the sixth largest economy on the planet, thehighest poverty rate in the nation and that President Trump’s border wall will cost one and a half times as much as an aircraft carrier all made PolitiFact California’s Top 10 most popular fact checks of 2017.

 

How will the GOP tax plan affect Jerry Brown’s final budget for California?

Sacramento Bee

Before he terms out of California’s highest office, Gov. Jerry Brown has one more budget to negotiate – a deal that may be complicated by actions taken far outside the state’s borders.

 

Villaraigosa, candidate for governor, strikes a centrist stance in Bakersfield meeting

Bakersfield Californian

California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa talked innovation, the economy, jobs and politics during a business roundtable in downtown Bakersfield Tuesday afternoon. The former mayor of Los Angeles was on a speaking swing through Kern County that ended with an evening fundraising event at a private home in Seven Oaks.

 

Video: John Cox’s Priorities

Public Policy Institute of California

Businessman John Cox, candidate for governor in 2018, was asked in a San Francisco forum last week to name the top three issues that will have major consequences in California’s future. Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO, posed the question, which has been answered by all gubernatorial candidates appearing before PPIC audiences.

 

How sexual harassment is playing out in CA governor’s race

The Sacramento Bee

Accusations of habitual sexual harassment and assault have cut down politicians, business and media moguls, entertainers and celebrity chefs, and forced a mass reckoning of the cost of silence on society.

 

California lawmakers have fought sexual misconduct on military bases, farms and college campuses. Will they police their own house?

Los Angeles Times

Over the past decade, California lawmakers have worked to help curb sexual violence in the workplace and other spheres of public life. They have pushed college campuses to keep better track of incident reports, created whistleblower protections for military officers who file claims and established sexual harassment training for farmworkers and janitors.

 

Cap-and-Trade Extension: Issues for Legislative Oversight

Legislative Analyst’s Office

Provides background information on cap‑and‑trade and the recent extension to 2030; identifies key administrative implementation decisions that could affect program outcomes; identifies potential opportunities to increase the effectiveness of a new advisory committee created by AB 398; and describes potential state cap‑and‑trade revenue scenarios through 2030.

See also:

·       California’s cap-and-trade climate program could generate more than $8 billion by 2027, report says  LA Times

 

CA Controller Reports November Revenues Exceed Expectations as Retail Sales Remain Strong

Calif Fiscal Focus

State Controller Betty T. Yee reported California’s total revenues of $8.31 billion for November were $449.8 million above expectations, powered by strong retail sales. Personal income tax (PIT), the largest state revenue source, fell short by nearly $200 million. For the first five months of the 2017-18 fiscal year, total revenues of $40.96 billion are outpacing budget projections by 2.5 percent, with retail sales and use taxes and corporation tax beating expectations.

 

Federal Politics:

 

Amid the rush to finish GOP tax bill, a sudden slowdown for second thoughts

LA Times

The rush to finish the GOP tax overhaul has hit a snag as Republicans grapple with substantial differences between the House and Senate bills, and pause to consider unintended consequences of the most massive rewrite of the tax code in a generation.

See also:

·       Senate Republicans Prepare Tax Counteroffer  Roll Call

·       The Tax Bill Is Bad for Homeowners, Good for Landlords  Bloomberg News

·       Business Tax Reform, Investment and GDP: Potential Impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act AEI

 

Other:

 

Quakes and Fires? It’s the Cost of Living That Californians Can’t Stomach

The New York Times
Russel Lee and his wife spent the past few years going online to do the depressing math of how much less housing costs pretty much everywhere that isn’t California. They looked at Idaho, Arizona, North Carolina and Kentucky, but Mr. Lee, who was born in San Francisco and has lived in the Bay Area his entire life, could never quite make the move. Then the fires came.

 

Ed Lee, San Francisco mayor who tried to tame the city’s tech boom, dies at 65

Los Angeles Times

Ed Lee became mayor as San Francisco emerged from the Great Recession into a boom phase rivaling the Gold Rush that first put the city on the map. Both supporting and containing the excesses of the tech explosion became a central theme of his seven years as mayor.

See also:

·       California Today: A Mayor for a City in Transition  New York Times

·       Ed Lee, San Francisco’s first Asian American mayor, dies after heart attack at 65 Washington Post

 

Get set: Your internet bill is about to soar, thanks to Trump’s FCC

Los Angeles Times

Thursday’s the day that the Trump administration will overturn former President Obama’s rules protecting consumers from greedy telecom companies manipulating internet access and pricing. I got a preview of what’s to come over the weekend as my Spectrum internet bill soared by 20% — and as I encountered the take-it-or-leave-it policy imposed by Spectrum’s owner, Charter Communications, which purchased Time Warner Cable last year.

 

Alabama Senate Seat Race: Doug Jones wins the election

The Fresno Bee

Democrat Doug Jones has won election to the U.S. Senate from Alabama, dealing a political blow to President Donald Trump.

See also:

·       Alabama Senate Race Between Roy Moore and Doug Jones Carries National Implications  The New York Times

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING 

 

Sunday, December 17th, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: Candidate for Governor: Antonio Villaraigosa. Guest: Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, December 17th, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report  – Valley Views EditionGubernatorial Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa & Cal Facts. Guests: James Mayer, President and CEO, CA Fwd; Fred Silva, Senior Fiscal Policy Advisor, CA Fwd; Matt Lege, Research Analyst, SEIU UHW; Cathy Martin, VP of Workforce Policy, California Hospital Association; Cathy Creswell, Housing Policy Specialist, Creswell Consulting. Host:Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, December 17th, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – Informe Maddy – Immigration: Dreaming in a Sanctuary State. Guests: Joe Hayes, Investigator PPIC and Liam Dillon with LA Times. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

Support the Maddy Daily HERE. Thank you!

 

Topics in More Detail…

 

 

EDITORIALS

 

Pay to fix dams or pay more in a catastrophe

Modesto Bee

California’s dam inspectors appear to be doing their jobs well. Unfortunately, too many dam operators aren’t, and could be placing the public at risk.

 

Community Voices: How the Grinch tried to steal Christmas with more HSR problems

Bakersfield Californian

Christmas is near and, much like the bitter old Grinch, Gov. Jerry Brown will once again don a proverbial red coat and winter hat to convince us that he is a benevolent Saint Nick.

 

How to make sexually misbehaving politicians pay

Los Angeles Times

If a lawmaker is accused of sexual harassment, why should the taxpayers be the ones who end up paying to settle the case? Wouldn’t it make more sense for the official himself — the individual accused of the wrongdoing — to pay? Wouldn’t that be more likely to discourage harassment by public officials…

 

Even our Republican Congress should be able to recognize the danger Scott Pruitt poses

Los Angeles Times

The Environmental Protection Agency was supposed to announce by Oct. 1 which parts of the country had fallen short of new, more stringent limits on the amount of ozone in the air, thus clearing the way for local action to reduce emissions. But the EPA failed to issue the designations, sparking a lawsuit last week by California and more than a dozen other states asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to force the government to, in essence, do its job.

 

Why Mayor Ed Lee mattered beyond San Francisco – especially in Sacramento

Sacramento Bee

More civil servant than politician, Ed Lee led a renaissance in San Francisco. Sacramento was able to come along for the ride.

 

Mayor Lee’s unfinished business — housing

San Francisco Chronicle

The tech boom that Mayor Ed Lee embraced ensured that the man who began his career fighting for poor tenants ended up presiding over a city known for some of the nation’s most unaffordable housing and …

 

An interim mayor needs skill, not a political resume

San Francisco Chronicle

London Breed, president of the Board of Supervisors, is the first African American woman to become mayor of San Francisco. But in January her fellow supervisors will have an option to vote on an interim …

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

At the country’s biggest cannabis county fair, legalization is met with a mixture of relief and fear

Los Angeles Times

For the last 14 years, the Emerald Cup has been a raucous two-day celebration of a longstanding California outlaw culture. Over time, it has evolved from a festival in a muddy Mendocino field to a highly choreographed event, but its spirit remains intact.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Suspicious death: Former Kingsburg principal was one victim

Fresno Bee

A former principal and her elderly mother have been identified as two people found dead Monday in a Fresno home in what the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office now is calling a double homicide.

 

Mom charged with murder of child will leave jail

Fresno Bee

A Hanford woman charged with murder in the death of her 2-month-old daughter is being released from jail after a judge ruled Tuesday there was not enough evidence to hold her for trial. Veronica Brouwer, 40, was arrested in July. Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics went to Brouwer’s home near Hanford after getting a report that the baby girl had suffered cardiac or respiratory arrest.

 

More than 40 arrested in mutli-agency gang bust

Bakersfield Californian

At least 40 people associated with the West Side Crips gang were arrested on Tuesday in a multi-agency law enforcement operation that the Bakersfield Police Department said provided leads in at least two especially troubling homicides.

 

New California mental health roadmap recommends alternate routes away from incarceration

CAFWD

Commission report calls for maximizing diversion away from criminal justice system for people in mental health crisis

 

Fire:

 

Fire at a homeless encampment sparked Bel-Air blaze that destroyed homes, officials say

Los Angeles Times

The blaze that swept through the hills of Bel-Air last week, destroying six homes and damaging a dozen others, was sparked by a cooking fire at a homeless encampment in a nearby ravine, Los Angeles officials said Tuesday. The encampment was nestled in a canyon several hundred feet from Sepulveda Boulevard and the 405 Freeway, hidden from passing cars. For several years, it had been home to an unknown number of people, officials said.

 

Fierce fight along Santa Barbara coast as fire threat eases in Ventura

Los Angeles Times

Robin Willis sprayed her garden hose at the eaves of her backyard patio, soaking the wooden beams with water. Authorities had evacuated her Montecito neighborhood two days earlier as the Thomas fire neared, but the 68-year-old and her brother, who lives across the street, had since returned and now refused to leave.

 

Why are California’s wildfires so historic? For starters, a diablo is at work.

Washington Post

Why is California burning? One answer is simple: California always burns. But this latest inferno — three wildfires eating at the hills in and around Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city — is frightening even for people who are accustomed to big burns. What’s more, it follows the state’s deadliest fire on record by only a few weeks.

 

Are the American West’s Wildfires Inevitable?

The New York Times

As detailed in Michael Kodas’s bracing “Megafire” and Edward Struzik’s drier “Firestorm,” today’s forests are often clogged with desiccated vegetation because — unlike in countless millenniums past — they are seldom cleansed by naturally occurring blazes.

 

Vice President Pence meets with California lawmakers about massive fires

LA Times

A handful of California representatives discussed the federal response to their state’s wildfires Tuesday with Vice President Mike Pence.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Have wages failed to go up on Donald Trump’s watch?

PolitiFact

On the heels of a generally favorable jobs report, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized Republicans for failing to boost wages for American workers.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

California must set ambitious goals to combat chronic absenteeism

EdSource

Last week, California’s parents and educators received a new trove of information about what’s going on in the state’s public schools. For the first time, state officials released data on the level of student absenteeism in every school. The data show more than one in 10 students are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10 percent or more of the school year in excused or unexcused absences. The problem strikes in rural, urban and suburban schools. It is worse among foster children and homeless students, among Native American and African-American kids.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Walters: California needs more college grads but falls short on preparation

Sacramento Bee

The fundamental mission of a K-12 school system should be to have as many students as humanely possible graduate from high school with the fundamental skills they need to succeed as adults.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Air quality in Merced County is getting worse. Officials say it might be your fault.

Merced Sun-Star

Air quality in Merced County consistently reached unhealthy levels in recent days and it’s “most likely” because of Valley residents and emissions coming from other areas, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District officials say. Since Friday, air quality in the county has either been unhealthy for sensitive groups, like people with respiratory problems, or considered unhealthy for everyone, according to the districts Real-Time Air Advisory Network.

 

Didn’t Check Before You Burned? You Could End Up In This Class

Valley Public Radio

If you’ve ever gotten a speeding ticket, you may have been required to attend traffic school. Likewise, cause a scene at work, you may have to take anger management classes. But what if you violate burning restrictions? The local air district runs a different kind of class intended to spark good behavior. On damp, chilly nights Patrick Smith has a tradition: He builds a fire in his fireplace. Smith lives in northwest FresnoA gas-powered furnace heats his home, but Smith still thinks of a fire as a gathering place for his family.

 

Fitzgerald: McNerney’s step toward global cooling

Stockton Record

In 1991, Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted and blanketed the stratosphere with sulfur dioxide particles. The earth cooled 0.7 to 0.9 degrees for two years. It’s theoretically possible for humankind to do something similar as a way to counteract climate change. And Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, wants scientists to explore the possibilities. The concern is both global and local, McNerney said. “Stockton is at or below sea level, a lot of it, anyway,” the congressman said. “If a big chunk of the Antarctic melts off, or Greenland melts off, we’re underwater.”

 

Southern California Is Burning — Is Climate Change to Blame?

KQED

It’s official: 2017 is the deadliest and most destructive year on record for wildfires in California. Dry conditions, high temperatures, roaring winds and bone-dry trees and brush are all factors responsible for the devastation. But one underlying question is how much of a role has climate change played? “There is no singular cause for any real significant event,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA. “It’s usually a confluence of factors that are important. And in a lot of cases, global warming definitely plays a role and is one of those factors.”

 

Small Grants and Funding Opportunities

CalEPA

The California Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Small Grants Programoffers funding opportunities for eligible non-profit community organizations and federally-recognized Tribal governments to address environmental justice issues in areas disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and hazards.  Grants are awarded on a competitive basis.  Applications are due February 28, 2018.

 

Cap-and-Trade Extension: Issues for Legislative Oversight

Legislative Analyst’s Office

Provides background information on cap‑and‑trade and the recent extension to 2030; identifies key administrative implementation decisions that could affect program outcomes; identifies potential opportunities to increase the effectiveness of a new advisory committee created by AB 398; and describes potential state cap‑and‑trade revenue scenarios through 2030.

See also:

·       California’s cap-and-trade climate program could generate more than $8 billion by 2027, report says  LA Times

·       A Landmark California Climate Program Is in Jeopardy  The New York Times

 

Jerry Brown To Trump: Get Out Of The Way On Climate

CBS San Francisco

California Gov. Jerry Brown is urging President Donald Trump to start fighting climate change or to “get out of the way” and let the rest of the world work on reducing emissions and investing in clean energy.

 

‘We must talk about the health aspects’ of climate change, Schwarzenegger says in Paris

LA Times

He showed up at Paris City Hall on Monday on a green bicycle and wearing a green tie to talk climate change with the mayor. But Arnold Schwarzenegger almost didn’t make the trip from Los Angeles. One of the wildfires scorching Southern California was threatening his home.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Obamacare premiums as high as $40,000 for family

The Fresno Bee

As open enrollment for Affordable Care Act coverage nears the deadline of Dec. 15, and Florida once again leads all states using the federal exchange at healthcare.gov, Heidi and Richard Reiter sit at the kitchen table at their Davie home and struggle to piece together the family’s health insurance for 2018.

 

Frontiers of HIV Research: The Man Who Was Nearly Cured

KQED

In 1984, a Canadian gay man named Gaëtan Dugas died of complications from AIDS. Dugas is thought to be the first patient identified as HIV-positive, thus securing a nickname that went down in the history books: Patient Zero.

 

Pharmacies now can offer birth control to women without a prescription, but few do

Los Angeles Times

A new law in California allows women to pick up birth control pills from pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription. But more than a year after the law took effect, women say they’re still struggling to get the medicines, in part because they can’t find pharmacies offering them.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

California’s New ‘Sanctuary’ Law Will Aid Some Immigrants, But Not All

KQED

It is intended to protect law-abiding immigrants from being set on a path to deportation after interactions with local police. But in immigrant communities and elsewhere, there is confusion about how the law will work and exactly what protection it provides.

 

CBP has to hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents. It’s paying a private company $297 million to help

San Diego Union-Tribune

With a mandate from President Donald Trump to hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection awarded a $297 million contract to a private company to help recruit and hire the new agents and other workers.

 

Sessions and new Homeland Security chief describe efforts to crack down on gang violence, illegal immigration

Los Angeles Times

Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and the new chief of Homeland Security on Tuesday linked Monday’s subway bombing in New York City to what they said were misguided immigration rules, calling for stepped up border security and an end to family reunification policies.

 

Fear Compromises The Health, Well-Being Of Immigrant Families, Survey Finds

Washington Post

Luis Ramirez has lived in the U.S. without immigration papers for two decades, but he is more worried about deportation now than ever before. Ramirez said he and his wife, Luz Cadeo, who is also here illegally, have already made plans in case they are arrested by immigration police: The couple, who live in Lakewood, Calif., would try to find work in their native Mexico while their youngest U.S.-born children, ages 15 and 18, stayed in the U.S. with a relative.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Why Downtown Parking Garages May Be Headed for Extinction

Pew Charitable Trusts | Stateline

For decades, providing downtown parking was a top priority for urban planners. Huge parking garages for commuters’ cars occupied prime real estate that otherwise might have been used for housing, stores or offices. But ride-hailing services and autonomous cars are going to revolutionize parking in cities across the country — in garages, in lots and along curbs.

 

Housing:

 

No housing bubble in sight — and other predictions for 2018

San Jose Mercury News

A real-estate site’s predictions for 2018 offer yet more disappointing news for would-be first-time homebuyers in California hoping that the New Year might bring some relief. “The outlook for next year is rising prices, rising rates and rising property taxes,” said Redfin’s chief economist, Nela Richardson. “I wish I could have better news.” Here is how Redfin’s housing market team predicts that the new year will shake out

 

Could Federal Tax Change Prompt a Move Against Prop 13?

Fox and Hounds Daily

Supporters of a split roll property tax smell opportunity in the federal tax bill. They are polling to see if the split roll can be advanced as an answer to tax deductibility changes under the proposed law. The question of state and local tax deductions in the Republican tax bill is still being ironed out.

 

What about Housing? A Policy Toolkit for Inclusive Growth

Grounded Solutions

Grounded Solutions Network recently released a new toolkit to help communities better understand their housing policy options to prevent displacement and improve housing affordability and access.  Unlike many other housing policy toolkits, “What about Housing?” is intended to be used primarily as a decision-making tool and aims to empower community leaders to take local action that ensures inclusive community growth.  The toolkit also provides links to additional resources for more detail on each policy tool.  Download the toolkit

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Gas tax fuels 2018 political fight

Capitol Weekly

California’s new gas tax hike to fund billions of dollars worth of overdue road repairs has only been in effect for a little over a month but Republicans are already trying to overturn it.

 

CalPERS critic Margaret Brown wins election

Sacramento Bee

The board that governs the country’s largest public pension fund will get one of its outspoken critics as one of its new members. Margaret Brown, a Southern California school district administrator, unseated incumbent Michael Bilbrey in a runoff election to win a seat on the California Public Employees’ Retirement System Board of Administration.

 

CA Controller Reports November Revenues Exceed Expectations as Retail Sales Remain Strong

Calif Fiscal Focus

State Controller Betty T. Yee reported California’s total revenues of $8.31 billion for November were $449.8 million above expectations, powered by strong retail sales. Personal income tax (PIT), the largest state revenue source, fell short by nearly $200 million. For the first five months of the 2017-18 fiscal year, total revenues of $40.96 billion are outpacing budget projections by 2.5 percent, with retail sales and use taxes and corporation tax beating expectations.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Gas tax fuels 2018 political fight

Capitol Weekly

California’s new gas tax hike to fund billions of dollars worth of overdue road repairs has only been in effect for a little over a month but Republicans are already trying to overturn it.

 

Tesla gets biggest pre-order yet for electric truck, from Pepsi

San Jose Mercury

The sleek electric semi-truck that Tesla CEO Elon Musk called “The Beast” and unveiled Nov. 16 has just received a nudge of support from Pepsi, which according to a new report has pre-ordered 100 trucks.

 

After six years of discussions and planning, Davis, Sacramento and the city of West Sacramento are finally getting a bike-share system in May 2018. They are making up for lost time by jumping straight to the next iteration of shared bicycles: electric bikes. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), and cities of Davis, Sacramento and West Sacramento have been working with private bike-share company Social Bicycles (SoBi) to plan the system. SoBi will finance, own and operate the system when it launches.

 

WATER

 

Dry weather continues in California. Time to start worrying about another drought?

Sacramento Bee

December has been bone dry in California, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get much wetter by the time the 2018 rolls around. Precipitation levels in Sacramento and most major California cities are below average for this time of year. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is just 37 percent of normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor says about one-third of California is either facing moderate drought conditions or is abnormally dry, with all of the dry areas lying south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

 

California dams are in need of repair

The Sacramento Bee

California’s dam inspectors appear to be doing their jobs well. Unfortunately, too many dam operators are falling down on the job, and could be placing the public at risk.

 

“Xtra”

 

Pearl Harbor survivors tell their stories at CVMD’s Remembrance Day

Clovis Roundup

To commemorate the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and honor the 2,403 service members and civilians who were lost on that tragic day, Clovis Veterans Memorial District invited a trio of Pearl Harbor survivors to speak at its Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 7 – 76 years after the attack.

 

The Contenders

The California Sunday Magazine

Inside a sprawling gym tucked into the corner of a sprawling strip mall between a Goodwill and a discount shoe store in east Fresno, Sandra Tovar straps on a pair of hot pink hand wraps. Then she climbs through the ropes into the elevated ring and begins throwing punches at an imaginary opponent, her long braid bouncing against her back. With each thrust, she grimaces slightly and pushes air through her teeth. “Ch, ch, ch-ch-ch.” Jab, cross, jab-jab-cross. As she warms up, three tiny giggling girls in workout gear skip past to a beginners’ class on the other side of the room.